Conventional load carriers, such as bicycle carriers, kayak/canoe carriers, ski carriers, snowboard carriers, luggage carriers, and the like, typically include at least one securing device. The securing device can be a strap, buckle, fastener, mount, clamp, and the like. For example, a conventional roof-top bicycle carrier includes one or more elongate wheel trays that extend along the length of a vehicle. Typically, these wheel trays are detachable and can be mounted on either side of the vehicle. The wheel trays are attached to the roof of the vehicle utilizing one or more lateral attachment mechanisms or cross bars of a rack system that extend across the width of the vehicle. Typically, the securing devices are fixedly or movably attached to the wheel trays and are operable for holding a bicycle in place on the roof of the vehicle, optionally in an upright position. The securing devices can include, for example, fork supports, frame clamps, and wheel straps. A wheel strap assembly, which typically includes a strap portion and a buckle portion, can be utilized to secure the rear wheel of a bicycle to one of the wheel trays. Accordingly, the wheel strap assembly is preferably offset from center with respect to the given wheel tray. The buckle portion of the wheel strap assembly typically faces outwardly toward the driver-side of the vehicle for a driver-side mounted wheel tray and outwardly toward the passenger-side of the vehicle for a passenger-side mounted wheel tray, such that an operator is provided adequate access to the buckle portion of the wheel strap assembly.
A problem arises, however, when a given wheel tray is moved from one side of the vehicle to another, such as from the driver-side of the vehicle to the passenger-side of the vehicle merely by sliding the tray across the vehicle on the cross bars. This problem is illustrated between FIGS. 1 and 2.
Referring to FIG. 1, a wheel tray 10 is initially positioned on the driver-side 12 of a vehicle 14. A wheel strap assembly 16 is utilized to secure the rear wheel of a bicycle (not shown) to the wheel tray 10. The buckle portion 18 of the wheel strap assembly 16 faces outwardly toward the driver-side 12 of the vehicle 14. If the tray 10 is completely detached from the rack and positioned on the opposite side of the vehicle with the buckle 18 of the strap assembly 16 facing outwardly, then the bicycle must be oriented in the opposite direction; that is, with the back of the bicycle facing toward the forward direction of travel. Typically, because operators prefer the bicycle to have the same orientation as the vehicle 14, this situation is undesirable. One approach to solving this problem is to make the wheel strap assembly 24 symmetrical, at least with respect to the connective mechanism to the wheel tray. In this traditional configuration, the wheel strap assembly 24 is intended to be removed and reinstalled in an opposite orientation to secure the rear wheel of the bicycle to the wheel tray 26.
Referring to FIG. 2, another approach to solving this problem is to make the wheel tray 10 slidable across the width 28 of the vehicle 14, typically on the cross bars or members of the carrying a rack system. This approach, however, results in the buckle portion 30 of the wheel strap assembly 24 being in a position such that the operator has inadequate access to the buckle portion 30 of the wheel strap assembly 24. If the wheel strap assembly 24 is made to be detachable and moveable, binding parts, scratched paint, and the like can result during execution of the process.
Thus, what is needed is a relatively simple wheel strap assembly that provides an operator adequate access to the wheel strap operating assembly regardless of the installed configuration of the wheel strap; that is, whether the wheel strap is positioned on the driver-side of the vehicle or on the passenger-side of the vehicle.